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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.1Centre to help women facing trauma yet to get off the groundhttp://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/09/centre-to-help-women-facing-trauma-yet-to-get-off-the-ground/
http://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/09/centre-to-help-women-facing-trauma-yet-to-get-off-the-ground/#respondMon, 09 Mar 2020 15:52:59 +0000http://theweeklyobserver.in/?p=1025The Centre’s One Stop Centre (OSC),
or Sakhi,
which is supposed to assist women who face trauma after violence, is itself looking
for support. Four
years after the launch of the scheme, the construction of a permanent place
for OSC in Bengaluru has not begun.

An official from Karnataka’s women and child development
department who didn’t want to be named said: “We had a trauma centre in Victoria Hospital. But it was
not under the Centre’s One Stop Centre scheme. It was the Gelathi special
treatment unit started by the state government. Since the beginning of the
month, that too is closed as the One Stop Centre building is at the starting
stage of construction in Madiwala. Once the construction is complete, women
under pressure can take shelter there. The building will have all the
facilities.”

OSCs are intended to support women affected by
violence in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the
workplace. Women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic
abuse, irrespective of age, class, caste, education status, marital status,
race and culture, will be facilitated with support and redressal.

Aggrieved women facing any kind of violence
due to attempted sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence,
trafficking, honor-related crimes, acid attacks or witch-hunting who have
reached out or been referred to the OSC will be provided with specialized
services like providing treatment, registering FIR, legal assistance and
counselling.

Victimized women are allowed to stay at OSCs
for six months to one year. But currently, such a shelter is not available in
Bengaluru.

Brinda Adige, a women’s rights activist, said:
“In the beginning, Bangalore Baptist Hospital
(BBH) treated women under an OSC scheme. They provided them with a psychologist
and psychiatrist to give counseling, and a legal adviser to take care of
official matters. But that, too, didn’t have a residential facility. As far as
I know, the facility is in a bad condition due to lack of funds from the
government. OSC is a basic need of every woman who undergoes bad incidents and
is looking for a place to shelter them. But the OSC in Bengaluru is not
fulfilling that.”

A BBH employee informed The
Observer an OSC is functioning in the hospital. But the centre
doesn’t have a shelter for abandoned women. Doctors examine the victim and give
treatment. If the victim is in a bad condition, she is admitted in the hospital
for further treatment.

Navya Shree, an advocate who deals with women
harassment cases, said: “In a decade when violence against women is increasing,
schemes like OSC … should function properly. The women welfare department
should look into the matter and take immediate action to have a temporary OSC
which provides shelter somewhere.”

The OSC in Victoria Hospital premises was set
up in June, 2016.

The scheme is funded through the Nirbhaya Fund.
The Centre provides 100% financial assistance to the state government /UT administration
under the Scheme.

Amruth
Raj, principal of a school in Sampangi Rama Nagar, informed The Observer: “We don’t have a
suggestion box now. But earlier we had on and received complaints. Usually, the
complaints were like washroom doors with no locks and class fights that caused
trauma to students. But we have a special committee to counsel children. The
committee has two female staff and one male staff.”

Amruth
Raj’s school is not the only one that has removed its complaint box.

Sri Rangashamaiah, the headmaster of a school in Cubbonpet, said: “One year ago, we had a complaint box in our school. While clearing it, we found random letters written by students and empty white papers. So we uninstalled it. We don’t have a special committee.”

But
Jayalakshmi, headmistress of a school in Kengeri, is clueless about the policy.

“We
don’t have a suggestion box or a special committee to look after the students.
In fact, I don’t even know such a thing exists. But we treat students well. If
they feel disturbed, they reach out to their teachers and speak up.”

According
to the Karnataka State Protection Policy, 2016, every institution should have a
Child Protection Committee (CPC), which should meet once in three months and
review threats/risks discovered, focus on complaints and suggestions received
and seek external help. Institutions should also have suggestion boxes to
receive concerns, complaints and suggestions.

The
step was taken to provide protection to students as they spend significant time
at school under their teachers’ surveillance. The policy aims to instil in
students a sense of safety and well-being. It recommends action
is taken against those indulging in misconduct or abuse, such as corporal
punishment, discriminatory practices, bullying and other forms of verbal,
emotional or sexual abuse, by teachers, other personnel and other students.

But
schools across the city seem indifferent towards the policy.

B Peer
Mohammed, state coordinator of the Karnataka State
Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), said: “The Act was
implemented to give protection, safety and a friendly environment to
students…. We continuously conduct meetings with education officers to
sensitize the importance of the policy. They are working on implementing the
policy throughout the state, but it is a tough job as officers can’t go to
every school and check. An official in the department takes care of six
districts in Karnataka. When we go to the district concerned, we check for the
implementation of the policy in schools.”

“If it
is found, that a school don’t follow the policy, they will be notified with a
caution notice to which they should answer. Further investigation will take
place followed by severe action if any offence was committed and ignored,” he
added.

An
August 2018 report published by Deccan
Chroniclesaid many of the state’s
1,37,810 schools were yet to implement the policy. It also quoted an official
from department of primary and secondary education that they would it mandatory
for schools to implement the policy from academic year 2019.

The
government rule also states that 1098, the child helpline number should be
displayed in the campus, visible to students. When The Observer went around some schools, it did not find the number
displayed in any of the schools.

Vasudeva Sharma,
executive director and trustee of Child
Rights Trust, an NGO, said: “There is a lot of violence against
schoolchildren which goes unnoticed due to mistakes of authorities. The child
protection policy is the last thing that comes to the mind of authorities while
managing a school. School administration should take the matter seriously and
implement the policy as soon as possible. The policy will also assure parents
that their children are getting educated in a secure and friendly environment.”

Karnataka in 2016 became the first state to come up with a child protection policy. It also gave guidelines and specific roles for the head of the institution, teachers and support staff under the policy.

Lack of restricted areas
for hookah smokers in hookah bars has put non-smokers at the risk of inhaling second-hand
smoke.

“We can’t have a
separate space for hookah users because the majority of our customers want us
to serve hookah. So we never had a situation when a non-smoker asked for a
smoke-free area. If something like that happens, we have no choice but to turn
them down,” said the manager of a restaurant in Koramangala. He refused to give
his name.

Max Anderson, manager of a popular chain of restaurants, informed The Observer: “We have a separate floor for non-hookah customers in Jayanagar. It is a roof-top restaurant. Service starts at 6 pm. When non-smokers come to our restaurant, they sit with others.”

The manager of a cafe
in Gottigere said there is no assurance that the smoke-free zone at his eatery would
not have smoke. “Ours is an outdoor cafe. Among the 24 tables we serve, two are
allotted for non-smokers. Since it is an open cafe, obviously the smoke will
reach the tables.”

Of the10 restaurants and cafes The Observer contacted, eight said they
did not have separate areas for hookah smokers.

Dr
B.K. Vijendra, BBMP chief health officer
(public health), said: “Recently, we came to know about
the non-availability of separate hookah smoking areas. We inspected some of
such restaurants and fined them. We will look into the issue and inspect (the
places) regularly.”

Dr Shiva Kumar Uppala,
an oncologist, agreeing with the research findings, said: “I see young patients
with lung diseases and cancer. Some people who don’t smoke suffer from
second-hand smoke diseases. Second-hand smoke is as dangerous as inhaling smoke
directly. Passive smoking can cause diseases like breathing difficulties and lung
cancer.”

In March 2019, the
Karnataka High Court ruled that hookahs should be used only
in designated areas, adding that “smoking of hookah should not cause
inconvenience to other customers”. The ruling came on a case filed by a
restaurant after police questioned it about the hookah bar on its premises.

Akshay Heblikar, director
of Eco-Watch, said: “Hookah smoking is an increasing threat. Everything starts
with ‘let’s give it a try’. Soon, young people get addicted to it and passive
smokers become victims. Outdoor hookah bars are a threat to the environment. It
is a small quantity of carbon monoxide, but 100 open cafes would add a good
enough amount of smoke to ruin the environment.”

Bengaluru
has a shortage of face masks and hand sanitizers as a large number of people
have started to buy them after the outbreak of coronavirus.

Eight
out of the ten medical stores The Observer visited on March 5 did not
have masks and sanitizers. Salespersons at the stores said these are in high
demand and they do not have stocks.

“No
masks and no sanitizers,” said Madhu N, working in Apoorva Medicals,
Indiranagar, to customers who had come to buy them. There is a sudden demand since
March 4.

Shravan
L, a salesperson at Sri Ram Pharma, also in Indiranagar said: “The demand for
hand sanitizer and face masks is high for the past two days. We do not have
stocks of hand sanitizers. We have stock of normal surgical masks, which cost
about Rs 30.” Another mask, which can be used for 15 days, is priced at Rs 350.

About
tablets that are in demand of late, he said: “Dolo 650, Cheston Cold, Cofsils
and Strepsil are the common ones people have been buying since yesterday. A few
of them bought handwashes.”

About
the reusable N95 mask, Madhu said: “It costs Rs 799. Because the price is high,
people do not buy it. Only two customers who enquired about it bought it from
us yesterday. All other customers buy the surgical mask, which costs Rs 20.”

People
visiting medical stores enquired if they had stocks of masks and hand
sanitizers. Sundaram R, who works for an IT company, said: “I enquired at more
than three shops. They do not have sanitizers. Suddenly, there’s a high demand
everywhere. They are not available in any departmental store either.”

Medical
stores are not sure of when the stocks will be replenished. A salesperson at
Maruthi Pharma Plus, Vijayanagar, informed The
Observer: “The demand is high. I guess by now most medical shops will not
have them. Everyone who has come here since yesterday has asked us for masks
and sanitizers, but we have none. We have no clue when the stocks will be refilled.”

Even
agencies that supply to pharmacies are not sure when fresh stocks will come.
One such agency, Fyre Masq, said:
“We do not have stocks of masks now. We supply masks to various medical shops
in the city, but as of now, we do not have stock. We are also unsure of when we
will receive stocks.”

Dr
Priya Ramachandran, who works at St John’s Hospital, pointed out that WHO
guidelines say only people with cough and cold should wear masks. “Everyone
needn’t wear masks. But because people are scared, they buy masks. People
needn’t fear but take preventive steps prescribed by WHO.”

Another consultant, Dr A.H. Lokesh, said: “It is better to wear a mask for safety. Other than that, people should avoid going to crowded places as there are high chances of cold and cough spreading. N95 is the mask that should be worn, but because it is costly, people prefer to wear normal ones, which are OK for emergency purposes.”

Two days ago, a 24-year –old software
engineer who works in Bengaluru tested positive for Covid-19
in Hyderabad. Seventy-one people who came in contact with this techie in Bengaluru
are under watch. He had travelled to Dubai for work on February 15 and returned
to Bengaluru on February 20. He attended work on February 20 and 21 before
taking a bus to Hyderabad. His apartment in Bengaluru has been sealed for
sanitizing.

Companies and business parks
in Bengaluru are taking urgent measures to ensure that their premises are clean
amid the increasing concern over coronavirus. They have advised employees to
work from home.

Mangalam Basuvaraj sat in a corner of the hospital
closing her nose with the pallu of her saree. She had accompanied her injured husband
to the hospital.

This is a common scene at the government hospital in Shahpur,
500 km from Bengaluru. The condition of the hospital, which caters to nearby
villages and towns, is pathetic.

“We do not have
a place to sit. We are made to sit on the floor. There is always a bad smell at
the end of each corridor as pigs are found dead. They do not clean up,” Mangalam
said.

Other patients said the same.

But Mohammed Mashak, a second division assistant at
the hospital, blamed the crowd. “The cleaning staff, though few in number,
clean the hospital frequently. It is because of the crowd that the hospital
turns dirty immediately.”

About 2,000 patients visit the hospital every week,
said Dr V.M. Patil, vector-borne disease control supervisor, National Health Mission.

Under the Swachh
Bharat Mission, there are various guidelines that are to be followed by public
health facilities. These include cleaning of the labour room, cleaning of
miscellaneous areas in hospitals, cleaning of operation theatres, basic cleanliness
of health care facilities, drainage, and sewage management.

The number of staff recommended for a 100-200-bed hospital
is 15 sanitary workers plus seven for the emergency and main OTs, plus one for
the blood bank.

Dr Patil said: “This hospital has better facilities
and treatment than PHCs. People come here because of this. We have doctors in every
department. We have around 20 staff who clean the hospital regularly. Compared
to other government hospitals, I would say cleanliness here is OK.”

The hospital campus has pigs, live and dead, creating
a stench.

“Pigs are common here. Nobody drives them away. The carcasses
of pigs are taken away only after we inform the municipality,” informed a nurse
who refused to share her name.

Doctors’ cabins do not have name boards, making it impossible
for patients to know where they should await their turn. The receptionists
seem clueless about which doctor sees patients in which cabin; they ask patients
find out for themselves.

The hospital doesn’t have adequate lab
technicians. Taluk health officer Dr Ramesh said it is because of the lack of
education and awareness. “In a town like Shahpur, there are not many hospitals
and doctors. The lab technicians here are contract-based.”

Dr Priya Ramachandran, who works at St John’s Medical
Hospital, said every hospital should follow the guidelines on hygiene.
“Availability of basic needs like electricity and running water along with
other lab facilities should be there in every hospital irrespective of where it
is located. The other is that they should know how to manage and maintain these
facilities. Workers should be trained. The hospital area should be properly
fenced so that animals like dogs and pigs don’t enter the premises and litter
the area.”

According to Indian
Public Health Standards guidelines, district hospitals should be in a
position to provide all basic specialty services; they should develop
super-specialty services gradually. These hospitals need to be ready for
epidemics and disaster management all the time.

Soppamma D, a brick kiln worker
in Shahpur, coughed continuously as she added water to mud clay and poured it
into a stencil to make rectangular clay bricks. Her husband picked up the dried
ones stacked them, and fired them using coal.
This is the daily routine for the couple and a few others working at brick
kilns. Shahpur,
in Yadgir district, has more than 40 kilns where red bricks and hollow block
bricks are made.

Soppamma, 58, informed The
Observer: “We are not provided any safety equipment like masks. I have not seen
anyone wearing masks here. When these bricks are heated with coal, there is a lot
of heat and smoke, making it difficult for us to work.”
Kotayappa, another worker at the unit, said: “We make bricks with clay soil and
fire them with coal or wood by keeping it under the bricks. Burning causes
pollution. Because of burning, almost everyone working here has cough. We do
not know any other work. I have been doing this for the past 20 years in various
places. If they ban brick-making, I do not know how I will survive.”

None of the brick kilns in Shahpur
taluk has a no-objection certificate from the Pollution Control Board as
mandated by the Centre.

Radhakrishna, who owns a bricks
and hollow blocks factory, said: “We did not apply for a certificate.” About
the facilities provided for workers, he said: “They come from various places
and are given a place to stay here or in nearby villages. They are
contract-based workers because we cannot produce bricks during the rainy
season.”
The red brick industry is the fourth largest consumer of coal in India. It is
one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide and black carbon. These kilns
create a large amount of air pollution. Workers, who lack pollution masks,
suffer from respiratory problems including asthma. The units are largely
unregulated and unmonitored.

Taluk health officer Dr Ramesh
said the workers do not know the impact of burning bricks on their health.
“Asthma is very common among people who work in brick kilns. They come here for
treatment. Very few come for cancer treatment, and we send to Yadgir hospitals.
Most of them come only after their condition becomes worse. They do not
cover themselves while working because they do not know that they should do.”

Other owners of brick units The
Observer spoke with said they do not have any certificate.
Firing bricks makes soil infertile because earth is dug up and turned into clay
for making bricks. The kilns are mostly located in agricultural fields.

The Observer did not find agricultural activity near the
brick units. Farmers said that crops do not grow because of the deteriorated soil.

Muthaiah
L, a farmer for the past ten years, shared: “Though they are small kilns, they
export to other places. Nothing can be grown in that area because the soil
becomes infertile.”

Sandeep Anirudhan, an
environmentalist, said: “Bricks used for construction are unsustainable for the
environment. The bricks, when burnt, create a large carbon footprint, causing
pollution, destruction of soil and waterbeds. This, in a few decades, will
destroy the whole ecosystem.”

According to news
reports, in October 2018, the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution
(Prevention and Control) Authority pushed the National Capital Region governments
to ensure that all brick kilns implement the “zigzag” technology, which can
reduce emissions by 80%.
On February 13, 2020, The Financial Express reported that illegal bricks
kilns continue to sprout in Ghazipur, a district near New Delhi even after the
High Court’s order to shut down all to reduce pollution in the capital.

A report in The Times of India dated June 27, 2019, said
226 brick kilns in UP that were found using traditional methods were closed
down. They had ignored the order to shift to the zigzag technology.

]]>http://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/08/shahpurs-brick-kilns-choke-workers-make-soil-infertile/feed/0Five years after police diktat, school buses to get CCTV, GPShttp://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/08/five-years-after-police-diktat-school-buses-to-get-cctv-gps/
http://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/08/five-years-after-police-diktat-school-buses-to-get-cctv-gps/#respondSun, 08 Mar 2020 10:39:32 +0000http://theweeklyobserver.in/?p=1003Schools just donot bother,says top cop

Almost five years after the traffic police ordered fixing of CCTV cameras and GPS systems on schoolbuses, most of these vehicles do not have them.

A reality check by The Observer at schools in Majestic, Seshadri Road, Cubbon Park, Vijayanagar and Shivajinagar revealed that most of these vehicles don’t have them. Students and drivers from these schools confirmed this.

Parents accuse school authorities of not ensuring the safety of their children.

Srinidhi N, parent of a class 2 student of the New Oxford English School, near Seshadri Nagar, said: “Here, only expensive schools have them; the others don’t. This shouldn’t be the case.”

Shanmugan
G, a parent of a 12-year-old said: “When there is a rule, school vehicles should
definitely have them. The department concerned should take action against schools
that do not provide these safety measures to children.”

Various
agencies responsible for checking implementation of the government’s directive
blame each other for the situation.

Additional
commissioner of police K Ajay Kumar conceded that schools do not follow the
rules. “Even after repeatedly informing the schools about the safety of
children, not all have these facilities.”

Many
parents send their children in private vans. “We do not have separate
schoolbuses for children. So private vans drop the children home. These vans do
not have CCTV cameras,” said Pradhap R, a security guard at a
private school on Seshadri Road.

Private
van drivers have a different point to make.

Keshava
S, who drives an Omni to ferry private schoolchildren informed The Observer: “We drive the vehicle not
only to drop children but also use it for other personal use. We were not asked
to install cameras or GPS in our vehicles. We drop the children in front of
their homes or their parents wait for them.”
Admitting that schools are responsible for the safety of students, Former Child Welfare Committee
officer Vasu Sharma said: “The Child Protection Policy has guidelines for the
physical safety of schoolchildren. Schools should have verified drivers and
assistants along with CCTV camera and GPS system.”

About
private school vehicles, he said: “If they ferry the children, school
authorities should take the responsibility. One problem with private vehicles
is that they do not run on behalf of the school.”

He has
a possible solution: “Schools should have their own vehicles with all
the facilities as per the guidelines. Parents should talk with the school to
fix all these facilities for the safety of their children. When rules are not
followed by these vehicles, severe action should be taken.”

The police had set an August 31, 2014, deadline to
install CCTV cameras and GPS in schoolbuses. They released nine guidelines in the
wake of the rape of a six-year-old girl by a skating instructor in
Marathahalli.

One of the guidelines says buses or other vehicles
owned by private players and operated for schools should have a GPS device and
CCTV cameras. Such vehicles should not ferry more students than that
prescribed by the transport department. The management should verify the
driving licences of drivers and get more information about their antecedents
from the police. A male and a woman staff should accompany students till they
reach their doorsteps.

CCTV cameras should be installed in schools too.

The footage of a CCTV must be preserved
for 60 days and be handed over to the police in the case of an investigation.

]]>http://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/08/five-years-after-police-diktat-school-buses-to-get-cctv-gps/feed/0With police not asking, owners of vehicles don’t get PUC renewedhttp://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/08/with-police-not-asking-owners-of-vehicles-dont-get-puc-renewed/
http://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/08/with-police-not-asking-owners-of-vehicles-dont-get-puc-renewed/#respondSun, 08 Mar 2020 10:33:18 +0000http://theweeklyobserver.in/?p=1000Despite Bengaluru having a high pollution level during
peak hours, vehicular
emissions have gone unchecked. Though it is mandatory, many owners of private
vehicles have not renewed their pollution under control certificates.

Saran K, a resident of Marathahalli,
informed The Observer: “PUC (pollution
under control) certificates are compulsory like insurance certificates, but
not many have them because police do not ask for them.”

G. Shiva, who has lived in
the city for six years, said: “I haven’t renewed my PUC certificate yet. I
purchased my bike three years ago and haven’t been to an emission testing
centre this year. Until now, I didn’t know the police will ask for a PUC
certificate.”

An employee of an emission testing centre
near Kothanur who did not give his name said the government was right in
increasing the fine for not having a valid PUC certificate to Rs 1,000.

Interrupting him, M. Raghuram, who was
there to have the tyres of his vehicle filled, said: “Police fine us only when
our PUC is not up to date. Otherwise, there is no check on vehicular emissions.”

According to the Motor Vehicles
Amendment Act, 2019, any person driving a motor vehicle in any public place
shall, on being so required by a police officer in uniform authorised by the
state government, produce the certificate of insurance, certificate of registration,
PUC certificate, driving licence. The driver of a transport vehicle must also
have a fitness certificate, permit and any certificate/authorization of
exemption that has been granted under the MV Act.

PUC, compulsory for all vehicles, is
valid for a period of six months. If a person’s vehicle fails the emission
test, he/she must get it serviced before taking it for PUC checking again.

Though pollution emission
should be checked regularly by the police and transport department, they fail
to do so.

Satyanarayan R, a traffic
police constable near Shivajinagar, informed The Observer: “We
do not get hold of vehicles that have high emission. That’s because we cannot
determine it. When we catch a driver for over-speeding or driving without a helmet,
we check their licence and insurance and, at times, ask them for the emission
certificate.”

An official at the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board said:
“We work along with transport department and police to keep a check on the air
quality. With so many vehicles on the road, pollution is also
high. Violating vehicles can be checked only by the police. RTO
check the amount of pollution generated during licence renewal.”

According to WHO
data, transport sector emissions are responsible for a large proportion of
urban air pollution. They increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory
diseases, cancer and adverse birth outcomes. Respiratory diseases such as
asthma are common due to vehicular emissions.

Dr Priya Ramachandran, a pulmonologist,
said: “There are many known and unknown consequences of vehicle emissions
beginning with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in babies and
cancer. There are other far-reaching effects too.”

To protect oneself from the
pollution-related diseases, she added, “We should start using electric vehicles
and public transport. Roads should be maintained well so that people can cycle
to their respective places. One should always wear masks to escape pollution.”

According to an India Today reportdated June 6, 2019,
more than one lakh children under the age of five in India every year are
killed by air pollution. It is responsible for 12.5 percent of all deaths in the country,
according to the fourth edition of the State of India’s Environment Report,
2019.

The article also mentioned that in 2017,
over 1.2 million died in India due to air pollution.

In 2013, India had pledged to phase out
non-electric vehicles and achieve a target of 15-16 million hybrid and electric
vehicles by 2020. Though Karnataka wanted to become India’s electric-vehicle
capital, the goal still seems distant.

The Karnataka budget for 2020-2021 reflects the government’s
resolve to boost the state’s revenue. It proposes raising tax on petrol and
diesel, and excise duty on liquor.

In his budget speech on Thursday, chief minister BS
Yediyurappa announced a 3% increase in tax on petrol and diesel – a measure
that will increase the price of petrol by Rs 1.60 a litre, and that of diesel
by Rs 1.59 a litre. He also announced
excise duty on liquor will be increased by 6%.

Srinivas Alavalli, co-founder of the NGO Citizens for
Bengaluru (CfB), said: “If the prices of petrol and diesel are increased, it will
affect the common man. Due to a shortfall in GST revenue and reduction in
grants from the central government…, the state government is forced to hike
petrol and diesel prices.

“How do states survive with respect to their revenue? We
need to think of a method for fairer allocation of resources. A state that is
performing well should not be penalized.”

The CM, who holds the finance portfolio, didn’t leave any
stone unturned to impress farmers, saying his government’s focus is to increase
farmers’ income in line with the Centre’s goal of doubling farmers’ income by
2022.

The budget also lays emphasis on urban infrastructure. To
make housing affordable, Yediyurappa announced that stamp duty on new flats or
apartments which cost less than Rs 20 lakh will be reduced from 5% to 2%.

Industry welcomed the announcement of a new industrial
policy. CR Janardhana, president of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), told The
Observer: “The budget has done justice to all sectors as it was presented
in six verticals. The rise in petrol and diesel prices is justified and not
burdensome to the common man.”

The CM said Rs 6,108 crore was spent on flood relief, and Rs
6.45 lakh crore paid to farmers as compensation following the 2019 natural
disaster in north Karnataka.

He announced several initiatives targeting urban
infrastructure. Fixing of damaged roads and lake development received Rs 1,000
crore and Rs 317 crore respectively.

Alavalli of CfB said: “We were hoping to get a bus fare
reduction. We lobbied very hard but that didn’t happen. But we are happy that
the government is proceeding to buy 1,500 diesel buses. This is positive news
as we were asking for doubling the bus fleet. Till now, we were getting only
empty announcements.”

“The other main thing from mobility point of view is the
government seems to have dropped the idea of elevated corridor. Bengaluru’s
traffic problems are mainly caused by inadequate public transport. The overall
budget shows good intent to improve public transport.”

CA IS Prasad, vice-president, FKCCI, said: “Enough stimulus
has been given for rural areas as there are proposals to set up clusters and
textile parks just outside Bengaluru. When the new industrial policy is released
by March-end, we will have further clarity.”

Sudhakar S Shetty, a past president of FKCCI, agreed with
Prasad.

The budget also contained other socially inclusive measures
like Rs 2000 a month for education of autorickshaw drivers’ children, survey of
transgenders and environment protection measures like a vulture breeding centre
in Ramanagara district, and the state’s first marine eco park in Uttara Kannada
district.

]]>http://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/08/bsys-budget-makes-petrol-diesel-and-booze-costlier/feed/0Dust chokes people of Gear School Roadhttp://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/08/dust-chokes-people-of-gear-school-road/
http://theweeklyobserver.in/2020/03/08/dust-chokes-people-of-gear-school-road/#respondSun, 08 Mar 2020 09:02:28 +0000http://theweeklyobserver.in/?p=983Residents frustrated with BBMP repeatedly saying pipeline work to be over ‘next week’.

The schoolchildren, shopkeepers and
residents of Gear School Road, eastern Bengaluru, have a common piece of
attire: Face masks.

Dust clouds caused by dug-up roads have
forced the residents of Kadubeesanhalli-Doddakanelli road stretch to cover
their faces. Two-wheeler riders contend with another problem on the road:
Several protruding storm water drainlids.

Amit Sharma, whose hardware shop is located
on the road, informed The Observer: “My shop has been here for the past
three years, but the problem started 6-8 months ago. To lay pipelines for a
Cauvery water project and underground drainage, they dug up the roads and
haven’t fixed them. They have fixed the road from AET Junction, but not this
stretch.”

The road leading to Doddakannelli looks
neatly laid out from AET Junction. But most of the stretch towards
Kadubeesanhalli is dug up and badly damaged.

“During monsoon, the bad condition of
the roads causes people on two-wheelers to skid and fall. There were many such
incidents last year. And now it is the dust. We have to continuously clean the
shop entrance and keep the doors closed. The deadline to fix the road was
December 15, which has obviously been missed.”

Rajesh, who owns a ceramics and hardware
store, said: “If you ask anyone on this road for a problem, they will name ten.
Such is the condition of this road, which has been dug up for gas line, water
line, etc.”

The Observer found that the road offers a bumpy ride to vehicles. There is no footpath. Only half of the available lane is usable. The edges of the road are dug up, forcing vehicles from both sides to inch through the middle of the road. The middle of the road has potholes and protruding lids.

Mariam John, whose house is adjacent to
the road, said: “We have lived in this area for 15 years. The dust is so bad
that I have developed chronic cough despite keeping windows and doors locked.
We are tired of complaining. Mostly workers come at midnight when we can’t even
object.”

The road outside Mariam’s home lies dug
up.

In response to the citizen complaints,
the BBMP executive engineer of the area who didn’t want to be named told The Observer: “We are fixing the
problem. Work will be completed within one week. Because of road cutting by
BWSSB for a long time, roads were dug up and not restored to a usable
condition. But we are doing it properly now.”

Citizens have tweeted consistently about
their hardship. The citizens’ groups Doddakannelli Rising and Save Bellandur
have tagged the BBMP commissioner and the local MLA in their tweets to
highlight their concerns.

Dr Ramesh V, professor and head of the
mechanical engineering department, Rajarajeshwari College of Engineering,
explained: “There are various technicalities according to which the earth has
to settle down after being dug for pipelines, and left for one season. The
officials say the work would be completed in one week instead of explaining the
procedures to the public and journalists. Procedural delays and a fund crunch
might also be reasons for non-completion of the work.”

On July 18, 2019, The Times of India reported
that local MLA Aravind Limbavali’s claims about good condition of roads was
countered by citizens who had tweeted that the minister should see the road for
himself.

On January 9, 2020, the Bangalore
Mirror reported that Gear School Road, which is a part of
Kadubeesanhalli-Doddakanelli Road, would be fixed in 15 days. It also reported
on January 27 that 48,000 litres of water was sprinkled on the road every day
to reduce dust pollution. Both the reports quoted BBMP officials as saying that
the work would be completed in the following week.